Huomioitavaa:

Posti’s delivery day reform will proceed during the summer – the number of delivery days will not change

31.05.2017

Posti's delivery day reform will proceed in different parts of Finland during the summer, covering the whole of Finland from July 18 onwards. The number of delivery days will not change but mail will still be delivered five to seven days a week, depending on the agreed delivery speed. The reform will show on Tuesdays when there will be less mail to deliver than before.

- In practice, the change will affect mail recipients very little, because traditionally much less mail is delivered on Tuesdays than on other days. Early-morning newspaper delivery and parcel delivery will continue as before and will not be changed, says manager Turkka Kuusisto from Posti, who is in charge of postal services.

Digitization vastly reducing mail volumes - the reform will control the rise of costs

The aim with the delivery day reform is to control the rise of unit costs. The product changes to be implemented together with the reform allow Posti to schedule sorting and delivery in a new way.

- Our customers have demanded actions from us in order to control delivery costs. For our large-volume sending customers in particular, the cost of deliveries is important. With the reform, we can direct our resources better to the days when there is more mail to deliver, says Turkka Kuusisto.

Mail will still be delivered five to seven days a week

Mail will still be delivered five to seven days a week, depending on the services that the sending customers have purchased from Posti. The number of delivery days will not change in the reform, though there will be less mail to be delivered on Tuesdays.

Some newspapers, along with parcels, express letters and laboratory items, will still be delivered on Tuesdays. There will be no changes to the early morning delivery for newspapers. Items requiring signature and parcels to be picked up from service points can be picked up from Posti outlets. For Corporate Postal Code customers, items will be also be delivered on Tuesdays.

Universal service letters posted on Mondays will primarily be delivered on Wednesdays. Posti will pick letters and parcels normally on Tuesdays.

The new Postal Act will help in the future

The change at hand will be implemented without changing the number of delivery days. The new Postal Act, which will enter into force in summer 2017, will allow three-day delivery in urban areas. Posti will not yet make use of this opportunity.

- Reducing regulation is necessary from the point of view of the future, as digitization is proceeding fast and the needs of our customers are changing. This way Posti could cope with the obligations of universal service without the service having to be financed out of taxes, Turkka Kuusisto points out.

Posti is almost the only postal company in Europe that is run completely without public support, and letter delivery service is open to free competition.

FACTS:

Other Posti services will not be changed in the reform, including logistics services, meal deliveries, delivery of food purchased at online stores, home services and opening hours.

The reform fulfills the requirements of the Postal Act. According to the current Postal Act, at least 95% of the items that fall within the scope of the universal service obligation must be delivered by the second weekday following the item's delivery to Posti. After the Postal Act reform, at least 50% of the items must be delivered by the fourth weekday. The Postal Act only concerns universal service, i.e. letters and cards furnished with a stamp.

According to the Postal Act, letter delivery is open to competition and other delivery companies may freely deliver mail anywhere and at any time without a specific delivery day obligation.